Composition Program

First-Year

As one of the earliest courses of study for most Huskies, UN 1015 Composition bridges
students' reading, writing, and critical thinking skills developed prior to entering
the University with those necessary for long-term success both in academia and beyond.
In UN 1015, students learn to analyze and produce communicative texts for a variety
of audiences, contexts, and purposes.

UN 1015 - Composition

Provides direct instruction in composition. Students examine and interpret communication practices and apply what they learn to their own written, aural, and visual compositions. Class projects ask students to communicate in a variety of modes and to attend to audience, purpose, and context.
Credits:
3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, SummerRestrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman

By studying rhetorical strategies, students learn how to recognize and assess both
explicit and implicit arguments advanced in everything from political speeches, news
segments, and scholarly publications to video games, films, and clothing. While the
written word remains the primary mode of communication for most academic work, UN
1015 emphasizes multimodal composing—that is, communicating information and making
arguments not just through writing but also through visual, audio, and other modes
of communication that are increasingly common in our digital and face-to-face environments.

As they examine the persuasive techniques at work all around them, students learn
to employ those strategies in their own projects. In the process, they develop a beginning
familiarity with rhetoric, conventions of academic writing, information literacy,
collaboration, and research. By learning to recognize and adopt the communicative
practices and genre conventions employed by various discourse communities, students
leave UN 1015 better prepared to successfully communicate in their classes, at work,
and in other areas of their lives.

University learning goals and assessment

Grounded in the theory and practice of rhetoric, this course asks students to consider
how purpose, audience, and context are at work in texts they produce and in those
they encounter in school and other parts of their lives.

Through drafting and peer review, both of which are emphasized in all sections of
UN 1015, students learn to recognize and reproduce genre and organizational conventions.
They also explore the ways in which syntax and mechanics are contextual, allowing
them to more effectively adopt the communicative practices and practices of their
chosen academic fields and professions.

As they work through research-oriented projects, students learn to assess the purpose,
credibility, and currency of sources, and to integrate those sources as evidence for
their own arguments. In developing their skills of information literacy, students
craft research questions and complete other pre-writing work to determine the extent
of information needed to pursue their projects; explore academic databases and other
sources of information; critically evaluating and synthesizing these sources; and,
practice the legal and ethical access and use of the information they find.

To support these learning goals, random and anonymized samples of the texts produced
in each section of UN 1015 are submitted for assessment by a University-wide committee
every other year.

Core Assignments

While individual sections throughout Michigan Tech’s composition program represent
a diverse array of themes and learning styles, all students must complete four common
projects, or “Core Assignments.” There is some variation in how each section approaches
these projects, but the basic requirements and learning objectives are common to all
sections. As such, in addition to various section-specific daily assignments, all
students will complete the Rhetorical Analysis, the Research Process Evaluation, the
Researched Argument, and the Multimodal Project.

MonsterComp

MonsterComp is an unofficial name for a uniquely designed and facilitated “incarnation”
of UN 1015 Composition. In addition to introducing students to college writing in
a diverse and highly collaborative environment, MonsterComp serves as an introduction
to college teaching for the Humanities Department’s Graduate Teaching Assistants.
MonsterComp provides an environment where experienced and novice instructors, together
with the Director of Composition, collaboratively deliver course content. In turn,
students in MonsterComp have the benefit of interacting with and getting feedback
from students and instructors in sections other than their own.

Students in MonsterComp complete the same core assignments as students in other sections
of the UN 1015, but the setting and structure of instruction is different. Early
each week, multiple sections of UN 1015 (typically five) meet in a lecture hall to
explore concepts in rhetoric, writing, and multimodality. Then, later in the week,
each section meets on its own to practice those concepts in a more traditional and
intimate setting.

In MonsterComp, both students and teachers have the opportunity to learn from a wide
range of writing and teaching styles.

Advanced Composition

In HU 3015 Advanced Composition, students build on their knowledge of writing researched
arguments by exploring the process of conducting both primary and secondary research
and compiling their findings into written form. Multidisciplinary inquiry-based projects
ask students to write for both academic and lay audiences in print and digital forms.
Specific research methods, writing technologies, and topics vary by section.

HU 3015 - Advanced Composition

Advanced instruction in composing substantive arguments based on primary and secondary research. Multidisciplinary inquiry-based projects ask students to write for both academic and lay audiences in print and digital forms. Specific research methods, writing technologies, and topics vary by section.
Credits:
3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)Semesters Offered: Fall, SpringPre-Requisite(s): UN 1015 and (UN 1025 or Modern Language - 3000 level or higher)

Course Objectives

Better understand how writing functions to accomplish work in disciplinary and practical
contexts

Demonstrate critical and creative thinking by summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing
evidence from primary and secondary readings to support your own ideas.

Interact respectfully and productively with, and respond to, the ideas of other scholars
(both the authors of the texts we will read and your fellow students).

Portage Review

The Portage Review is a peer-reviewed journal of student writing. Founded, edited, and managed by graduate
students in the Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture program, the journal publishes research first conceived and drafted in composition and other
undergraduate courses.